Society

Humanity isn’t ready for the coming intelligence explosion

Meta has removed facial-recognition code from an artificial intelligence companion app for its smart glasses.
THINKING ALOUD

The dumb choices that make smart glasses so appealing

In a world where information is plentiful, judgment – the ability to discern, evaluate and act responsibly – may be more valuable than knowledge alone.

The coming AI-driven ‘abundance’ shock

Machines are helping us build the most fanatical scenarios imaginable, engineered not for accuracy but for virality.
THE BROAD VIEW

The argument that never ends

Prestige has always been a by-product of legal practice, not its purpose, says the writer.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Law is a calling and a public institution, not just a technical craft

If we want Singapore to remain strong, we must invest not just in our economy, but also in our people.
THE BOTTOM LINE

Building a lasting culture of giving in Singapore

An advertisement featuring an image of a family, in an elevator at Beijing Perfect Family Hospital. With fewer babies and more deaths, policymakers are facing a demographic crisis in the making.

China’s population shrinks again as policies fail to reverse decline

Answering the fundamental question of how AI should serve humanity demands that we develop, share and nurture a common understanding of our core civic values.
THE BROAD VIEW

Holding the line between people and algorithms

AI companions that never criticise, nor share feelings of their own, are a poor preparation for dealing with imperfect humans.

How AI is rewiring childhood

A 1984 study by sociologist Theodore Caplow found that many a wife was responsible for buying the gifts not only for her parents, siblings, nieces and nephews, but for those of her husband, too.

Santa Claus is still a woman